THE whiff of international football clearly agreed with Stephen Geoghegan. Feted beforehand, he required two minutes and 20 seconds to repay Shelbourne for their prematch presentation with his customary currency. Almost as sure as night follows day, his side kick, Pat Morley, added another for what appears a routine Shelbourne win.

Strictly on the basic match facts, yes it adhered to the National League's most dog eared script, but it completely disguises an eventful mish mash of a mis match. Spearheaded by the most prolific partnership around, often supplied by a near vintage Tony Sheridan performance, a sluggish and one paced Finn Harps defence was torn asunder.

Yet Shelbourne lapsed into one of their fitful moods for much of an erratic first half. At times they almost let a limited but gamey Harps back into the game, and required a splendid penalty save from Alan Gough to deny that reknowned spotkick exponent Stuart Gauld to preserve their lead.

Thereafter, chances flowed for much of the night, the vast majority around Harps' often charmed goal, in a game let flow in his inimitable way by Mick Tomney.

Had there been a full house, it might have been hailed as a cracker. But a poorish crowd of 2,500 was a limp response from the Dublin public not only to the quality of football Shelbourne seek to provide, but also to Stephen Geoghegan's international call up.

Maybe anything more, was hoping for too much pride in our own home grown talent, too soon.

About 6-2 would have summed it up, and something more along those lines seemed probable, as Shelbourne characteristically got off to a flier. Such an opening had gone unrewarded when Harps plundered an extraordinary win here earlier in the season but on this occasion Shelbourne scored with their first attack.

Dessie Baker, bizarrely omitted from the league's under 21 squad, was in determined and lively mood on the right. Setting the tone for his display, he reacted quickly to Stephen Geoghegan's lay off in turn passing to Sheridan, whose first time, swerving cross with his right foot bounced awkwardly into Trevor Scanlon. Geoghegan pounced on to the attempted chest down with a swift left footed finish.

James Mulligan, short on confidence after eight barren games at Harps, but still big on work rate and full of ideas and running, caused alarm in the home ranks with a deflected shot across goal.

Then Geoghegan could have completed a hat trick inside the first 11 minutes, first flashing a header wide of the near post from a Sheridan free and then denied by Darren Nash's low save.

The Shelbourne faithful sat back and waited expectantly for a rout, becoming frustrated when it didn't arrive. Morley, not at his sharpest, extracted a sprawling save from Nash on the turn, then just failed to latch on to a Geoghegan through ball and was surprisingly pegged back by Marty McCann when released by Sheridan's typically quick witted free.

In between, Gough had stymied a possible Harps' revival at source. An untypically rash tackle by Mick Neville across Kieran O'Kane following Mulligan's fine lay off, left Mick Tomney in no doubt about the penalty, but Gough dived low and smartly to his left in blocking Gauld's initial shot, and then bravely parried the shot from the rebound.

A more focused Shelbourne picked up the gauntlet again on the restart, and Harps couldn't live with them. A hungrier Morley sliced wide when put through by Sheridan again, two minutes after the restart, Baker then being denied by the gutsy Nash a minute later from Rutherford's low cross.

The inevitable insurance goal came after 51 minutes. Again Sheridan was the provider, his pinpoint free picking out Pat Scully whose inviting downward header was side footed past Nash by Morley.

There was almost a reprise of the first half, as Jonathan Minnock's tasty left foot from left full back began to revise a flagging Harps. First Minnock released Mulligan, Gough saving, before Jonathan Speak blazed the rebound over, then he hit the near upright with a stunning angled drive and finally tested Gough once more with an inswinging direct free.

Growing more and more confident at the back, Shelbourne sometimes struck with brilliant pace whenever Harps pushed forward, an intuitive chested lay off and first time return between Geoghegan and Morley floundering on that rarity, a fluffed Sheridan cross.

It must have been a bobble, and Geoghegan would normally have added another when delightfully played in Sheridan.

Still, it's not been a bad old week for the domestic game's master striker, and the best is still to come.